I guess I can't really complain about paying for trail runs in SA when I haven't actually done so, therefore I gave the 3rd in the Yumigo summer series a go this morning, figuring that at least it's in a park where I don't usually run (although last year's twilight rogaine did pass through there). Starting up the top of the hill on Majors Rd meant that any descents resulted in collateral elevation gain, which we did 4 times, and there were some fabulous views out over the city and ocean on the way down the long spur. Was a bit surprised at just how many people went past me on the uphills - my legs didn't seem to want to lift at all but I kept plodding because my goal for this run was simply to have a solid pace. As a bonus, I re-caught a few people on the downhill runs :)

Waited around to watch Bridget finishing the long course in a good time - and then I had to head home because of friends coming for brunch at 11.

This course neatly encompassed just the eco village and wetlands, and it was really nice (when control collecting I stopped to look at the mosaics around the stormwater retention basins), and I tried to run hard although my legs were tired and the ankle which I tweaked when I put my foot in a hole on Wed not quite happy. Can see at least 3 legs where I should have gone left not right and maybe saved 40 sec all up, which is a lot in a sprint.

From the mass start, we were off on a quick lap of Adelaide High school, which is basically just one building but with lots of 'fingers', then west along the edge of the ovals to the patchy bushland strip alongside the railway line, where we all got different versions of the map, depending on how various people had drawn it during Manu's mapping workshop the other week. Then we crossed over Sir Don into an area I'd never been before, and which we never used to go into when training from Western Districts because it was basically where homeless people camped. But now it's been turned into (regenerated) native forest with a wetland running through, and an interpretive trail where the rocks have either engravings or bronze sculptures - many by Silvio Apponyi; the trapdoor spider being one of my favourites - and this was just lovely to navigate through, and lots of fun. Ended up as a fair distance to be running hard, so Zara and I went for a bit of a warmdown to find even more sculpture rocks, the smallest of which hadn't made it on to the map but still had creatures upon them.

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Hurried to get to West Tce because I was running late, and managed it in about 20 min, but took the return trip at more leisurely pace and in the company of Cazzolatos for the first half, incorporating Toby's 'long cut' through the cemetery. Some impressive mausoleums in the Italian section!

Up to Deep View and around to the top of First Falls, back down in time to go to OSA meeting. Right near the end a vicious killer ant fell from a tree into the neck of my shirt and chomped me painfully on the boob. While I was trying to find & evict it (hope nobody saw me beating my bosom and yelling "you bastard") it got me on the arm as well. Bites were excruciating for about half an hour and are now completely unremarkable which means they'll be huge itchy welts by tomorrow and for the next couple of days.